Data processing apparatus and method of using the same

ABSTRACT

In a data processing apparatus of the present invention, a disk unit storing a disk is mounted on the apparatus such that the surface of the disk is parallel to the direction of a shock or an impact. This protects the disk unit and therefore the disk from the influence of shocks and impacts as far as possible.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application is a continuation application of and claims thebenefit of priority under 35 U.S.C. §120 from U.S. application Ser. No.13/267,622, filed Oct. 6, 2011, which is a continuation of U.S.application Ser. No. 11/168,343, filed Jun. 29, 2005, now U.S. Pat. No.8,045,237, the entire contents of each of which is incorporated hereinby reference, and is based upon and claims the benefit of priority under35 U.S.C. §119 from prior Japanese Patent Application No. 2004-202820,filed Jul. 9, 2004.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a data processing apparatus and amethod of using the same.

2. Description of the Background Art

Today, it is a common practice with a digital copier to mount a harddisk unit storing a magnetic disk as a disk. The hard disk unit is usedto implement an electronic sorting function, image registering functionor similar function of temporarily storing image data. As for theelectronic storing function, the images of documents are read whilebeing written to the hard disk unit, and then all the images thus storedin the hard disk unit are sequentially read out in order of page andprinted. This function therefore allows copies to be driven out of thecopier in a sorted condition without resorting to the conventionalsorter including a plurality of bins. On the other hand, the imageregistering function causes a plurality of formatted images to be storedin the hard disk unit as registered images and allows them to berepeatedly printed any time without being again read by a scanner, asdesired.

The problem with the magnetic disk stored in the hard disk unit is thatit is susceptible to shocks and impacts and is apt to suffer anunrecoverable trouble when subjected to a shock or an impact. JapanesePatent Laid-Open Publication No. 2001-228659, for example, proposes touse a rubber brush for isolating structural members from vibrationgenerated by, e.g., a motor. This document, however, does not teach anymeasure against shocks and impacts apt to act on the hard disk unitalthough it may successfully cope with vibration.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of the present invention to provide a data processingapparatus capable of isolating, when a shock or an impact acts on theapparatus, a hard disk unit from the shock or the impact as far aspossible and reducing the frequency of trouble that may occur in thehard disk unit inclusive of a hard disk stored therein, and a method ofusing the same.

In accordance with the present invention, in a data processing apparatusincluding a disk unit loaded with a disk, the disk unit is positioned ina direction scarcely susceptible to the influence of directions in whichshocks and impacts may act on the disk unit.

Further, in accordance with the present invention, in a method of usinga data processing apparatus including a disk unit loaded with a disk,the disk unit is mounted to the data processing apparatus just beforethe actual operation of the apparatus.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The above and other objects, features and advantages of the presentinvention will become more apparent from the following detaileddescription taken with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a view showing a specific configuration of a hard disk unitstoring a hard disk and to which the present invention is applied;

FIG. 2 is a view showing a specific configuration of a data processingapparatus implemented as a digital copier;

FIG. 3 is a view showing a conventional configuration in which the diskunit is mounted on the data processing apparatus;

FIG. 4 is a view showing another conventional configuration in which thedisk unit is mounted on the data processing apparatus;

FIG. 5 is a view showing a specific condition wherein the disk unit ismounted on the data processing apparatus in accordance with the presentinvention;

FIG. 6 is a view showing another specific condition wherein the diskunit is mounted on the data processing apparatus in accordance with thepresent invention;

FIG. 7 is a view showing a case wherein a finisher or similar optionalunit adjoins one side of the data processing apparatus;

FIG. 8 is a view showing a specific condition wherein the disk unit ismounted such that the surface of the disk unit overlaps a plane in whicha sheet tray mounted on the data processing apparatus is projected onthe rear wall of the apparatus;

FIG. 9 is a view showing a specific condition wherein the disk unit ismounted such that the surface of the disk unit does not overlap theabove plane;

FIG. 10 is a view showing another specific condition wherein the diskunit is mounted such that the surface of the disk unit does not overlapthe above plane;

FIG. 11 is a view showing a condition wherein the short sides of arectangular surface defined by length and width extend in theup-and-down direction of the apparatus; and

FIG. 12 is a view showing a condition wherein the long sides of therectangular surface extend in the up-and-down direction of theapparatus.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Referring to FIG. 1 of the drawings, a specific configuration of a diskunit, storing a magnetic disk therein, is shown. The disk unit shown inFIG. 1 is susceptible to shocks and impacts, particularly a shock or animpact acting in a direction 3 perpendicular to the surface of themagnetic disk. More specifically, a shock or an impact imparted to thedisk unit in the direction 3 causes a magnetic head to hit against themagnetic disk and damage its surface.

I found that if the direction in which a shock or an impact acts on thesurface of the magnetic disk is parallel to the disk surface, i.e., adirection 1 or 2 shown in FIG. 2, the former damages the latter little,compared to a shock or an impact acting in the direction 3. Morespecifically, the present invention is characterized in that in a dataprocessing apparatus loaded with a hard disk unit storing a magneticdisk, a disk unit is mounted in a position scarcely susceptible to ashock or an impact, i.e., in such a position that the surface of thedisk is parallel to the direction of a shock or an impact.

It is to be noted that the magnetic disk stored in the disk unit is onlyillustrative and may be replaced with, e.g., a CD-RW (CompactDisk-ReWritable) or a DVD (Digital Versatile Disk) by way of example.The disk unit is referred to as a hard disk unit when storing a magneticdisk.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a data processing apparatusimplemented as a digital copier by way of example. As shown, a sheetfeeding unit is mounted on the front portion of the digital copier andincludes a plurality of sheet trays. An ADF (Automatic Document Feeder)is mounted on the top of the digital copier. Casters, part of which isshown in FIG. 2, are mounted on the bottom of the digital copier. Afinisher or similar optional unit, not shown, may be located on theright side or the left side of the digital copier. In FIG. 2, the sideof the digital copier opposite to the front side will be referred to asthe rear side. It should be noted that the front side, rear side, rightside, left side, top and bottom mentioned above refer to, when thecasing of the digital copier is generally parallelepiped, the frontside, rear side, right side, left side, top and bottom of theparallelepiped casing, respectively.

In the digital copier shown in FIG. 2, a shock or an impact acts in anyone of three different directions, i.e., a direction in which any one ofthe sheet trays is moved into or out of the casing of the digital copier(operating direction hereinafter), a direction in which the ADF isopened upward or closed downward (up-and-down direction hereinafter),and a direction in which the digital copier itself is lifted, loweredand pushed to a desired place (also up-and-down direction hereinafter).When the copier is pushed, the shock or impact increases when the groundis not flat.

FIG. 3 shows a specific position in which the disk unit has customarilybeen mounted on the digital copier from the storage standpoint. Asshown, the disk unit is positioned such that the surface of the diskstored therein is parallel to the rear surface of the casing of thecopier and therefore to the operating direction of the sheet trays. FIG.4 shows another conventional position of the disk unit mounted on thedigital copier. As shown, the disk unit is positioned such that thesurface of the disk stored in the disk unit is parallel to the top ofthe casing and therefore perpendicular to the up-and-down direction ofthe casing.

The position of the disk unit shown in FIG. 3 is not desirable in thatthe disk surface of the disk unit, positioned perpendicularly to theoperating direction of the sheet trays, is subject to a shock or animpact perpendicular thereto when any one of the sheet trays is movedinto or out of the casing. Also, the disk surface of the disk unit shownin FIG. 4 is perpendicular to the up-and-down direction of the casingand therefore subject to a shock or an impact perpendicular thereto whenthe ADF is opened or closed in the up-and-down direction or when thedigital copier is lifted, lowered and pushed during transport.

As stated above, in the conditions shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, a shock or animpact is apt to act perpendicularly on the disk surface of the diskunit and thereby bring about an unrecoverable trouble in the disk unit.More specifically, when the disk unit is a hard disk unit by way ofexample, the shock or impact is apt to damage a magnetic disk or amagnetic head included in the unit. Also, if the disk unit is a DVD diskunit, the shock or impact is apt to damage a DVD disk or a pickupincluded in the unit.

The present invention is successful to solve the problems of theconventional configurations stated above. Briefly, in accordance withthe present invention, a disk unit loaded with a disk is mounted on adata processing apparatus in a position scarcely susceptible to adirection of a shock or an impact, i.e., in such a position that thesurface of the disk stored in the disk unit is parallel to the directionof a shock or an impact. This successfully protects the disk unitmounted on the apparatus from the influence of a shock or an impactacted on the apparatus as far as possible, thereby reducing thefrequency of trouble to occur in the disk unit inclusive of the diskstored therein.

FIG. 5 shows a specific position of the disk unit mounted on the digitalcopier or data processing apparatus shown in FIG. 2 in accordance withthe present invention. As shown, the surface of the disk stored in thedisk unit is parallel to the sides, i.e., the right side and left sideof the casing of the copier and therefore to both of the operatingdirection of the sheet trays and up-and-down direction of the casing.

More specifically, in FIG. 5, the disk unit is positioned such that thedisk surface of the disk unit is parallel to the operating direction ofthe sheet trays and parallel to the up-and-down direction of the casingof the digital copier in which the ADF is opened or closed. The disksurface is therefore parallel to the direction in which shocks andimpacts are likely to act.

FIG. 6 shows another specific position of the disk unit mounted on thedigital copier in accordance with the present invention. As shown, thedisk unit is mounted to the casing along one side of the casing.However, this position is undesirable when a finisher or similaroptional unit adjoins the left side and/or the right side of the casing,as shown in FIG. 7 in a front view; an optional unit is located at theleft side of the casing in FIG. 7. More specifically, the optional unitobstructs the mounting and dismounting of the disk unit.

In light of the above, the disk unit should preferably be mounted on thecenter of the rear wall of the casing. When the disk unit is mounted onthe center of the rear wall of the casing, as stated above, it can beeasily mounted or dismounted even when a finisher, for example, adjoinsthe right side or the left side of the casing.

In accordance with the present invention, the disk unit shouldpreferably be disposed in the casing of the data processing apparatus soas not to protrude to the outside of the casing.

Also, in accordance with the present invention, the disk unit shouldpreferably be removably mounted to the data processing apparatus. Forexample, the disk unit may be removably fastened to the rear wall of thecasing by screws or may be slidably mounted on a slide member mounted onthe rear wall of the casing. In any case, the disk unit can bedismounted from the casing at the time of, e.g., transport or conveyanceof apparatus and then mounted to the casing later just before the actualoperation of the apparatus.

In accordance with the present invention, in the case of the dataprocessing apparatus including the sheet trays, the disk unit shouldpreferably be mounted to the apparatus such that its surface does notoverlap a plane in which the sheet trays are projected on the rearsurface of the casing of the apparatus. More specifically, as shown inFIG. 8 in a sectional side elevation, should the surface of the diskunit overlap the above projection plane, a shock ascribable to themovement of any one of the sheet trays into or out of the casing wouldbe directly imparted to the disk unit.

FIGS. 9 and 10 each are a side elevation showing a specificconfiguration capable of solving the above problem. As shown, thesurface of the disk unit is mounted to the rear wall of the casing ofthe apparatus body such that its surface does not overlap a plane inwhich the sheet trays are projected on the rear surface of the casing.This prevents a shock ascribable to the movement of any one of the sheettrays into or out of the casing from being directly applied to the diskunit.

Further, in accordance with the present invention, the hard disk unithas a parallelepiped body whose outer contour is defined by preselectedlength, preselected width and preselected thickness, and a surfacethereof defined by the preselected length and width is rectangular. Inthis configuration, the hard disk unit should preferably be mounted tothe casing of the apparatus such that the long sides of the aboverectangular surface extend in the up-and-down direction of the casing.

More specifically, as shown in FIG. 11 in a sectional side elevation, ifthe hard disk unit is mounted such that the short sides of therectangular surface thereof defined by the length and width extend inthe up-and-down direction, then the hard disk unit occupies asubstantial space in the direction of depth of the casing. In theillustrative embodiment, as shown in FIG. 12 in a sectional sideelevation, the disk unit is positioned such that the long sides of therectangular surface extend in the up-and-down direction of the casing ofthe apparatus. This allows the hard disk unit to be efficiently arrangedin the limited space of the casing.

Moreover, in accordance with a method of using the data processingapparatus with the disk unit in accordance with the present invention,the hard disk unit can be mounted to the apparatus just before theactual operation of the apparatus and in the position scarcelysusceptible to the influence of the directions of shocks and impacts.Stated another way, the hard disk unit does not have to be mounted onthe apparatus during, e.g., transport or conveyance of the apparatus. Itis therefore not necessary to be aware of the influence of shocks andimpacts on the hard disk unit during transport or the conveyance of theapparatus. Consequently, the frequency of trouble of the hard disk unit,more specifically the trouble of the magnetic disk or the magnetic head,is reduced.

While the above description has concentrated on a digital copier, thepresent invention is applicable any other data processing apparatusincluding a disk unit.

In summary, the present invention has various unprecedented advantages,as enumerated below.

(1) In a data processing apparatus including a disk unit storing a disk,the disk unit is mounted in a position scarcely susceptible to thedirections of shocks and impacts. This successfully protects the diskunit mounted on the apparatus from the influence of a shock or an impactacted on the apparatus as far as possible, thereby reducing thefrequency of trouble to occur in the disk unit inclusive of the diskstored therein.

(2) The disk unit can be removably mounted to the casing of the dataprocessing apparatus. It is therefore possible to dismount the disk unitfrom the casing at the time of, e.g., transport or conveyance ofapparatus and then mount it to the casing later just before the actualoperation of the apparatus.

(3) The disk unit is positioned at the center of the rear wall of acasing included in the data processing apparatus. The disk unit cantherefore be easily mounted to or dismounted from the casing even when afinisher or similar optional unit adjoins the right side or the leftside of the casing.

(4) The disk unit is disposed in the casing and therefore does notprotrude to the outside of the casing.

(5) In the case of a data processing apparatus including sheet trays,the disk unit is mounted to the apparatus such that its surface does notoverlap a plane in which the sheet trays are projected on the rearsurface of the casing of the apparatus. This prevents a shock ascribableto the movement of any one of the sheet trays into or out of the casingfrom being directly applied to the disk unit.

(6) The hard disk unit has a parallelepiped body whose outer contour isdefined by preselected length, preselected width and preselectedthickness, and a surface thereof defined by the preselected length andwidth is rectangular. In this configuration, the hard disk unit ismounted to the casing of the apparatus such that the long sides of theabove rectangular surface extend in the up-and-down direction of thecasing. This allows the disk unit to be efficiently arranged in thelimited space of the apparatus.

(7) In a method of using the data processing apparatus with the diskunit, the hard disk unit can be mounted to the apparatus just before theactual operation of the apparatus and in the position scarcelysusceptible to the influence of the directions of shocks and impacts.Stated another way, the hard disk unit does not have to be mounted onthe apparatus during, e.g., transport or conveyance of the apparatus. Itis therefore not necessary to be ware of the influence of socks andimpacts on the hard disk unit during transport or the conveyance of theapparatus. Consequently, the frequency of trouble of the hard disk unit,more specifically the trouble of the magnetic disk or the magnetic head,is reduced.

Various modifications will become possible for those skilled in the artafter receiving the teachings of the present disclosure withoutdeparting from the scope thereof.

1. A data processing apparatus, comprising: a casing; a sheet traymounted to the casing and movable into and out of the casing in a movingdirection; and a disk unit mounted to the casing such that (1) a surfaceof a disk loaded into the disk unit is parallel to the moving direction,(2) the surface of the disk is parallel to an up-and-down direction ofthe apparatus, and (3) the disk unit is mounted above, below or to aside of the sheet tray with respect to the moving direction.